The present invention introduces a new concept in squeegee construction wherein for the first time full pattern screening of textured walls and ceilings can be executed.
The use and limitations of pattern transfer by screening methods are well known to the trade. The difficulty of obtaining full pattern definition when screening a textured, or similarly irregular surface is also well known, and represents a problem not satisfactorily solved even by spray techniques. Use of stenciling, a companion process, merely introduces longer application times, leads to frequent smears, and adds a stenciled appearance which can be overcome only by a time-consuming overlay process.
The present invention comprises a squeegee of serrated blade construction whose individual fingers throughout its width provide the depth displacement pressures required to force a color medium through a screen and into the valleys of a textured surface to which a decorative design is to be applied. In addition to overcoming plateau bridging introduced by a continuous blade squeegee, this unit incorporates a movable ram or dozer device for inching the color medium forward on the blade following each pass over a screen held in the overhead position.
The invention also comprises a separate dispensing reservoir for rapid loading of the color medium onto the squeegee blade when it is being used in the overhead mode.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a device capable of applying completely defined patterns to rough surfaces heretofore found difficult to decorate by methods such as screening, stenciling, or in the case of walls and ceilings, even by wallpapering.